Recent adventures

It's been a busy fall . . .


Right on the heels of the YA AdVANture tour, Tessa Gratton, Tara Hudson and I managed eleven library/school visits in five days. (The above photo was taken at the Blanchard Public Library.) We had a blast that week! It was hard to say goodbye at the end.


After appearances at OCTE and the Rose State Short Course on Writing, I moved on to Encyclomedia. The Brown Brothers of Perma-bound put together a series of appearances to benefit Moore schools impacted by the May tornado, and it was an honor to spend time with Gennifer Choldenko, Ann Hood, Ruta Sepetys, and Wendelin Van Draanen -- such incredibly classy ladies! (I enjoyed silly fun with them, too, as you can see above.)


Up next? My road trip to Tennessee. I enjoyed visits with friends and family (hooray for sweet nieces!), but also managed three library appearances. Many thanks go to Pam Ford at the Stewart County Library, Jean Nichols at the Clarksville-Montgomery County Library, and Kay French and Kaity at the Houston County Library. They all welcomed me so warmly, and the Houston County library even put on an English tea spread, with the added bonus of a spooky flower arrangement that matched The Dark Between (see above)!


The TN trip wrapped up with the Southern Festival of Books. My panel with Aprilynne Pike and Teal Haviland came off splendidly, and I had a great time visiting with my pal DeAnne, as well as Courtney Summers (who took the above photo), Carla Schooler, Myra McEntire and Sharon Cameron. (Here's Myra and I posing in front of some impressive buttocks.) And on Sunday night, I met up with DeAnne and friends (and eventually my brother) for drinks and snacks at a speakeasy! (Next time you're in Nashville, you simply must check out the Patterson House.)


This past weekend I enjoyed a relaxing and inspiring retreat by Lake Tenkiller in Tahlequah. My crit pals and I chatted, played word games, visited a Benedictine Abbey (!!!), critiqued, and set goals for our writing. My lovely friends also threw a little party for The Dark Between, complete with character cupcakes.

So . . . lots of travel and talking and fun. But now it's time to get back to my hermit hole and WRITE.

Stay tuned for giveaways featuring books from authors I've spent time with recently!

[Cross-posted at Livejournal]

Catching my breath

Gosh, it's been a whirlwind lately.

First, in case you missed it, I wanted to share the "Behind the Scenes" video Steve and I made in Cambridge this past summer with the help of Harry, a grad student at Corpus Christi College. Though the video is expertly edited by Flatline Films, it soon will become very clear to you that Steve and I are not professional filmmakers. (Brace yourself for babbling and shaky cam!) Still, I'd love for you to see the setting of The Dark Between, and I know you'll be charmed by Harry.


My favorite part is the Monty Python-esque "Huge amounts of land" moment! Of course, Harry also shares details on murder, brothels, punting accidents, and somehow even manages to work Beyonce into the conversation.

So what else has been going on? Well . . .

-- I went on tour with Tessa Gratton, Tara Hudson, and Myra McEntire.


We hit Dallas, Little Rock, Memphis, St. Louis, and Kansas City. Tess recapped the trip for Publishers Weekly!

-- I had a wee launch party at Barnes & Noble in Norman, and a signing at Best of Books in Edmond.


We enjoyed a Dark Between cake at the "after party" in Norman, and at Best of Books there were Dark Between cookies created by Amber Loberg. :)

And this week, Tessa, Tara, and I will make 11 library visits in 5 days. Insanity, right? And yet, so cool! Here's a poster for our Blanchard stop (click to enlarge):


You can find all the details at the Pioneer Library System webpage or check the events calendar at my webpage.

Big Hugs to all of you who came to events! Hope to meet more readers in the coming days.

P.S. If you've read The Dark Between, would you please consider reviewing it at Amazon and/or Barnes & Noble? It doesn't have to be a long review or a 5 star review, just an honest assessment. (I've developed a thicker skin. Really.) This sort of thing helps tremendously, and I'd be ever so grateful.

[Cross-posted at Livejournal]